1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a non-rinse, isotropic, antimicrobial hard surface cleaner especially adapted to be used on glossy or smooth, hard surfaces, which removes soils deposited thereon and disinfects same, while significantly reducing the amount of residue caused by unremoved soil, cleaner, or a combination thereof.
2. Brief Statement of the Related Art
Cleaning hard, glossy surfaces has proven to be problematic. To remove soils deposited on such surfaces, the typical approach is to use an alkaline ammonium-based aqueous cleaner or other aqueous cleaners containing various mixtures of surfactants and other cleaning additives. Unfortunately, many of the ammonia-based cleaners have fairly poor soil removing ability, while many of the surfactant-based cleaners leave fairly significant amounts of residue on such hard, glossy surfaces. This residue is seen in the phenomena of streaking, in which the soil, cleaner, or both are inconsistently wicked off the surface, and filming, in which a thin layer of the residue actually clings to the surface desired to be cleaned.
Additionally, quaternary ammonium based liquid hard surface cleaners are in common use, typically as bathroom cleaners. Certain quaternary ammonium compounds can be effective as antimicrobial agents in small dosages in these cleaners. However, these types of cleaners typically are not effective on glossy, hard surfaces because they tend to leave a visible residue.
Baker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,779, demonstrated a hard surface cleaner having improved non-streaking/filming properties in which a combination of low molecular weight polymer (e.g., polyethylene glycol) and certain surfactants were combined.
Corn et al., E.P. 0393772 and E.P. 0428816, describe hard surface cleaners containing anionic surfactants with ammonium counterions, and additional adjuncts.
G.B. 2,160,887 describes a cleaning system in which a combination of nonionic and anionic surfactants (including an alkanolamine salt alkyl sulfate) is contended to enhance cleaning efficacy.
WO 91/11505 describes a glass cleaner containing a zwitterionic surfactant, monoethanolamine and/or beta-aminoalkanols as solvents/buffers for assertedly improving cleaning and reducing filming spotting.
Garabedian et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,245, and its related applications, U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/134,349 and 08/134,348, both filed Oct. 8, 1993, and Choy et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/410,470, all of common assignment herewith, disclose improved glass and surface cleaners which combine either amphoteric or nonionic surfactants with solvents and effective buffers to provide excellent streaking/filming characteristics on glass and other smooth, glossy surfaces. These disclosures are incorporated herein by reference thereto. None of these related glass and surface cleaners contain bactericides, such as quaternary ammonium compounds.
A series of patents to Flanagan (U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,409, U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,304, U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,872 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,304) describe dilutable cleaner concentrates which included quaternary ammonium surfactants. The compositions of these inventions do not claim or show improved filming/streaking properties.
Thus, the prior art no-rinse hard surface cleaners fail to achieve the desired goals of reduced residue (streaking and/or filming) and antimicrobial action.